XII in honour of the former Sevilla player who died in 2007, was the inaugural edition of the
UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge
The UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge (; ) is a football match organised by CONMEBOL and UEFA. The match is contested by the winners of the South American and European second-tier competitions UEFA Europa League and CONMEBOL Sudamericana, respec ...
, a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
match organised by
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
and
CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL ( ) or CSF (; ; ), is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Parag ...
between the reigning champions of the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
and
Copa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
. UEFA was in charge of the main organization of the first edition.
The UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge was officially launched on 7 July 2023 as part of the
Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium
The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium (; ) is a association football, football stadium in Seville, Spain. It is the home stadium of Sevilla Fútbol Club, Sevilla, and is named after the club's former president, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (1900–195 ...
in
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
, Spain, between
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
club
Sevilla
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Seville ...
, the
2022–23 UEFA Europa League
The 2022–23 UEFA Europa League was the 52nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 14th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
Sevilla defeated Roma in the final pl ...
winners and
Ecuadorian
Ecuadorians () are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...
club
Independiente del Valle
Club de Alto Rendimiento Especializado Independiente del Valle, known simply as Independiente del Valle, is a professional football club based in Sangolquà Ecuador that currently plays in the Ecuadorian Serie A.
Founded in 1958, the club plays ...
, the
2022 Copa Sudamericana
The 2022 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana was the 21st edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (also referred to as the ''Copa Sudamericana''), South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.
On 14 May 2020, CONMEBOL announced t ...
winners.
Background
The match was announced by UEFA and CONMEBOL as a pilot edition. This was the first meeting between a Spanish and an Ecuadorian club representing UEFA and CONMEBOL, respectively. The match was, at the same time, the twelfth edition of the Antonio Puerta Trophy, an annual football match hosted by
Sevilla
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Seville ...
, who died in 2007 at the age of 22 following a cardiac arrest, during the inaugural match of the
2007–08 La Liga
The 2007–08 La Liga season was the 77th since its establishment. It began on 25 August 2007, and concluded on 18 May 2008.
Real Madrid secured a second consecutive La Liga title following a 2–1 victory over Osasuna on 4 May 2008. This season ...
season between Sevilla and
Getafe
Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality.
Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...
. The official nature of the match was initially not entirely clear; UEFA considered it as a friendly due to the unlimited substitutions agreed by both clubs. However, on 10 June 2024, UEFA considered the tournament as official.
Sevilla won the
2022–23 UEFA Europa League
The 2022–23 UEFA Europa League was the 52nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 14th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
Sevilla defeated Roma in the final pl ...
on 31 May 2023, defeating Italian side
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
People, characters, figures, names
* Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.
* Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun
* Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
4–1 penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, making it a record of seven UEFA Cup/Europa League titles for the Sevillians. For its part, Independiente del Valle won their second
Copa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
title by beating Brazilian side
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
2–0 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of the
2022 Copa Sudamericana
The 2022 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana was the 21st edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (also referred to as the ''Copa Sudamericana''), South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.
On 14 May 2020, CONMEBOL announced t ...
held on 1 October 2022.
In the run-up to the match, Sevilla were in pre-season preparations ahead of their 2023–24 campaign, while Independiente del Valle were in the middle of their 2023 season, having won the first stage of the
2023 Ecuadorian Serie A
The 2023 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A, known as the LigaPro BET593 2023 for sponsoring purposes, was the 65th season of the Serie A, Ecuador's top tier football league, and the fifth under the management of the ''Liga Profesional de F ...
and looking ahead to their
round of 16
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
tie against Colombia's
Deportivo Pereira
Deportivo Pereira is a professional Colombian football team based in Pereira, that currently plays in the CategorÃa Primera A. They play their home games at the Hernán RamÃrez Villegas stadium.
History Early years
While there are several am ...
in the
2023 Copa Libertadores
The 2023 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores was the 64th edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores (also referred to as the ''Copa Libertadores''), South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.
The final was played at the Estádio ...
.
Teams
Pre-match
Officials
The refereeing team for this edition was appointed by UEFA.
Squads
Sevilla named a 30-man squad for a training camp to be held from 9 to 19 July 2023, including the UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge match.
Independiente del Valle traveled with 23 players to its mid-season tour in Spain, which, in addition to the UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge match, included meetings with
Orlando Pirates
Orlando Pirates Football Club, referred to as simply Pirates, is a South African professional football club based in Orlando, Soweto that plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as Betway Premiership. The team plays i ...
and
Getafe
Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality.
Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...
. Players
Kendry Páez
Ray Kendry Páez Andrade (born 4 May 2007) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for club Chelsea and the Ecuador national team
Club career Early career
Born in Guayaquil, Páez began ...
Yaimar Medina
Yaimar Abel Medina Ortiz (born 5 November 2004) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Genk and the Ecuador national team.
Club career
Medina came through the academy at Independiente del V ...
were expected to join the team after their participation in the
U-20 Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Under-20 Libertadores ( Portuguese and Spanish: CONMEBOL Libertadores Sub 20) is the international association football club competition for teams that play in CONMEBOL leagues. It was created by Manuel Burga Seoane and the Peruvian ...
, but ultimately did not do so by decision of their team.